Game.



H. E. HIRE.

GAME.

- APPITIGATION FILED-DEG.3,1908. I Patented NOV. 2

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GAME,

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 3.190s.

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Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

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HARRY E. HIRE, MARK CENTER OHIO.

GAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

Application filed December 3, 1908. Serial No. 465,772.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ITARRY E. HIRE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mark Center, in the county of Defiance and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Im proved Game, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to games, and it has for its object to provide a game which has many of the features of the game of baseball and is especially devised to assist in the training of pitchers for the outdoor game of baseball, and to test their skill at the outdoor game.

Still other objects of the invention will appear in the following complete description.

In this specification I will describe the preferred form of my invention, but it will be understood that I do not limit myself thereto as I consider myself entitled to all forms and embodiments of the invention which may be held to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing how the game is played; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the automatic umpire; Fig. 3 is a sectional side view thereof; and Fig. at is an enlarged view illustrating the making and breaking of the electrical circuit which rings the bell.

By referring to the drawings, it will be seen that an automatic umpire 1 is erected at the rear of a lane formed by a rope fence 3, or by other means, and at the rear of which there is a screen 2, on which may be painted a representation of a grand stand, and a catcher 4. In front of the catcher indicated on the screen 2, there is a home-plate 5, at the side of which there is a figure 6, representing a baseball player at the bat. At the front of the lane formed by the fence 3, there is a line 7 which represents one end of a pitchers boX. At the rear of the home-plate 5, the automatic umpire is disposed as has been stated, there being a frame 8 with supports 9 on which the automatic umpire is mounted. To the frame 8 are secured two transverse bars 10, to which arms 11 are pivoted, the arms 11 also being pivoted to transverse bars 12 which are secured to the frame 13 of the automatic umpire. The automatic umpire has a padded surface l t, which is disposed substantially at right-angles to the plane of the homeplate this padded surface 14 being secured to a frame 13 and having at its top a frame member 15 which extends rearwardly to the back of the frame 13, to which it is secured, the frame member 15 serving to support the top of the padded surface 11. The sides of the padded surfaces 14: are disposed in the vertical planes extending rear wardly from the across-field corners, respectively, of the home-plate, the padded surface extending vertically from a point above the plane of the home-plate equal to the average height of the knee of a man from the ground to a point equal to the average height of a mans shoulder from the ground, so that when the padded surface 1% struck by a ball, it will indicate that the ball passed over the home-plate within the limits, which ac cording to the rules of baseball would indi cate that the umpire would call the play a strike. The rear arm 11 is secured to a sleeve 18, which is mount-ed on the transverse bar 10, and by this means the arm 11 is pivoted to the transverse bar 10; and to the sleeve 18 are secured toes 16 which contact with stops 17 secured to the frame 8, when the arms 11 are disposed substantially perpendicular to the ground. A spring 19 is secured to the rear arm 11 and to the front of the frame 8, by means of which the automatic umpire is held yieldingly forward with the toes 1G resting againstthe stops 1?. Back of the rear arm 11 there is a llOll COlk ducting member 20, having an orifice therein in which is disposed a conducting pin 21, there being a conductive plate 22 on one face of the non-conducting member 20, the plate having an orifice therethrough, which is in alinement with an orifice in the non-conducting member 20. The pin 21 is disposed as has been stated, in the orifice of the nonconducting member 20 and is also disposed in the orifice 0f the plate 22. The pin 21 has a head 23, and the head is held yieldingly away from the plate 22 by means of a spring 24. Back of the terminal of the pin 21 there is a spring electrode 25, the spring electrode 25 and the plate 22 being in an electrical circuit 26, there being also a battery 27 and a bell 28 in this circuit.

In using my invention, the player is sta tioned in front of the line 7 and he throws a ball 29, with the intention of having it pass over the home-plate 5 between the horizontal planes at the knee and shoulder of the figure 6, and if he is successful the play would be called a strike in the outdoor game of baseball; if the batter did not hit the ball. In my game it will in all cases be called a strike and it will be indicated not by the usual umpire or referee but by my automatic umpire 1, for the ball when thrown as has been stated will strike the padded surface 14:, which will cause the automatic umpire to move rearwardly on the arms 11 and the rear arm 11 will push the pin 21 rearwardly until it contacts with the spring electrode 25, when the electrical circuit 26 will be closed and by means of the battery 27, the bell 28 will be rung.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a game apparatus, a plate such as is used at the home base in a game of base ball, adapted to be disposed on the ground to serve as a guide for the player in throwing a ball, and a strike-indicating device having a member disposed substantially at right angles to the plate, the said member being substantially as wide as the distance between the lateral extremities of the plate; and extending vertically from a point above the plane of the plate and in the rear thereof, equal to the average height of the knee of a man from the ground, to a point equal to the average height of a mans shoulder from the ground so that it will be struck when the player succeeds in throwing a ball over the plate at such a distance from the ground that in the game of baseball it would be called a strike.

2. In a game apparatus, a plate such as is used at the home base in a game of baseball to serve as a guide for the player in throwing a ball, a strike-indicating device having a member disposed substantially at right angles to the plate, the said member being substantially as wide as the distance between the lateral extremities of the plate and extending vertically from a point above the plane of the plate and in the rear thereof, equal to the average height of the knee of a man from the ground to a point equal to the average height of a mans shoulder from the ground, which will be struck by a ball when the player succeeds in throwing it over the plate at such a distance from the ground that in the game of baseball it would be called a strike, an indicator, and means connected with the strike-indicating device, which are adapted for operating the indicator.

3. In a game apparatus, a plate such as is used at the home base in a game ofbaseball to serve as a guide for the player in throwing a ball, a strike-indicating device, consisting of a member disposed substantially at right angles to the plate, the face of the said member being substantially as wide as the distance between the lateral extremi ties of the plate and extending vertically froma point above the plane of the plate and in the rear thereof equal to the average height of the knee of a man from the ground to a point equal to the average height of a mans shoulder from the ground, which will be struck by a ball when the player succeeds in throwing it over the plate at such a distance from the ground that in the game of baseball it would be called a strike, a frame, arms pivoted to the frame, a second frame pivoted to the said arms, the said member being secured to the second frame, and means for holding the second frame yieldingly in one position.

4:. In a game apparatus, a plate such as is used at the home base in the game of baseball to serve as a guide for the player in throwing a ball, a figure representing a ball player at the bat, the figure being disposed at one side of the plate, and a strike-indicating device having a member substantially at right angles to the plate, the width of the strike indicating device being substantially the same as the distance between the lateral extremities of the plate, the member extending in the rear of the plate from a point substantially at the level of the knee of the figure to a point substantially at the level of the shoulder of the figure to indicate when the player succeeds in throwing a ball over the plate at such a distance from the ground that in the game of baseball it would be called a strike.

5. In a game apparatus, a plate such as is used at the home base in a game of baseball to serve as a guide for the player in throwing a ball, a strike-indicating device having a member disposed substantially at right angles to the plane of the plate and'in the rear thereof, the member being substantially as wide as the distance between the lateral extremities of the plate and extending vertically from a point above the plane of the plate and in the rear thereof equal to the average height of the knee of a man from the ground to a point equal to the average height of a mans shoulder from the ground so that the member will be struck by a ball when the player. succeeds in throwing it over the plate at such a distance from the ground that in the game of baseball it would be called a strike, said strike-indicating device also including a frame, arms pivoted to the frame, a second frame pivoted to the arms, the said member being secured to the second frame, an electrical circuit, a circuit breaker, a bell in the electrical circuit,

means for keeping the circuit breaker yieldingly open, a member on the strike-indicating device being adapted for closing the circuit breaker when the strike-indicating device is operated, and means for holding the last named member yieldingly away from the circuit breaker.

6. In a game apparatus, a plate such as is used at the home base in the game of baseball to serve as a guide for the player in throwing a ball, atigure representing a ball player at the bat, the figure being disposed at the side of the plate, a strikeindicating device having a member disposed substantially at right angles to the plane of the plate and in the rear thereof, the face of the said member being substantially as wide as the distance between the lateral extremities of the plate, the member extending from a point above the plane of the plate equal to the height of the knee of the figure to a point equal to the height of the shoulder of the figure, so that it will be struck by a ball thrown, by a player, over the plate at such a distance from the ground that in the game of baseball it would be called a strike, a frame, arms pivoted to the frame, the said member being pivoted to the arms, an electrical circuit, a bell in the electrical circuit, a circuit breaker in the electrical circuit, means for keeping the circuit breaker yieldingly open. a member on the strike-indicat ing device being adapted for closing the circuit breaker when the strike-indicating device is operated, and means for holding the last named member yieldingly away from the circuit breaker.

7. in a game apparatus, a plate such as is used at the home base in the game of baseball to serve as a guide for the player in throwing a ball, the plate being adapted to be disposed on the ground, a strike indicating device disposed at the rear of the said plate consisting of a supporting frame, transverse bars in the frame, a plurality of arms pivoted at one end to the transverse bars respectively, transverse bars to which the plurality of arms are pivoted respectively at their other end, a member supported by the last named transverse bars, which is disposed substantially at right angles to the plane of the said plate, an electrical circuit, a bell in the electrical circuit, two spring electrodes in the electrical circuit, which are held yieldingly apart, one of the said arms being adapted to press one of the electrodes into engagement with the other electrode when the said member is struck by a body and moved rearwardly, means for holding said arm yieldingly away from the electrodes, and means for checking the movement of the said member.

8. In a game apparatus, a strike indicating device, consisting of a frame, transverse bars in the frame, a plurality of arms pivoted at one end to the transverse bars respectively, a vertical member, a frame to which the vertical. member is secured, transverse bars on the last named frame to which respectively the plurality of arms are pivoted at their other end, an electrical circuit, two spring electrodes in the electrical circuit, which are held yieldingly apart, ameni- 791 on the last named frame being adapted for pressing one of the electrodes into engagement with the other electrode when the vertically disposed member is struck and moved rearwardly, means for holding the lastnamed frame yieldingly away from the electrodes, means for checking the movement of the last named frame, and a bell in the electrical circuit.

9. In a game apparatus, a strike indicating device consisting of a supporting frame, transverse bars in the frame, a plurality of arms pivoted at one end to the transverse bars respectively, transverse bars to which the plurality of arms are pivoted respectively at their other end, a member supported by the last named transverse bars which is vertically disposed, an electrical circuit, a bell in the electrical circuit, two spring electrodes in the electrical circuit, which are held yieldingly apart, one of the said arms being adapted to press one of the electrodes into engagement with the other electrode when the said member is struck by a body and moved rearwardly, means for holding said arm yieldingly away from the electrodes, and means for checking the movement of the said member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY E. HIRE.

lVitnesses L. E. Gnrrrm, FRANK BUGKER. 

